Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.,better known by his stage name Nelly,is an American rapper,singer and actor. He grew up in St. Louis,Missouri,and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics. He signed to Universal Records in 1999,releasing his solo debut album Country Grammar in June of the following year. Its title track and follow-up single,"Ride wit Me" both peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100,while the album peaked atop the US Billboard 200;it remains Nelly's best-selling album to date,receiving diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album,Nellyville (2002) spawned two consecutive number-one hits,"Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma",along with the top-five single "Air Force Ones".
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer and actress. She was first discovered as a teenager and signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records,an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2002. That same year,she was featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time",both of which were among the two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. She became the first female artist to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously with "Foolish" and "What's Luv?" at numbers one and two,respectively.
"Locked Up" is a song by American singer Akon,taken as the lead single from his debut album,Trouble (2004). The single was released in the United States on April 5,2004,peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States,"Locked Up" peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom and the top 20 of the charts in France,Germany,Spain,and Switzerland.
"Foolish" is a song by American singer Ashanti. It served as her debut single,the first from her self-titled debut album (2002) and was released by Def Jam Recordings,AJM,and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. It was written by Ashanti,Etterlene Jordan,Mark DeBarge and Irv Gotti,while production was overseen by Gotti. The song heavily samples DeBarge's "Stay with Me". Due to the inclusion of the sample,Mark DeBarge and Etterlene Jordan are also credited as songwriters. A promotional version of the single called "Unfoolish" features a verse from The Notorious B.I.G. from his song "F--king You Tonight".
"I Am Not My Hair" is a song by American soul and R&B singer–songwriter India.Arie from her third studio album,Testimony:Vol. 1,Life &Relationship (2006). Written by Arie,Shannon Sanders,and Drew Ramsey,it was released as the album's lead single in late 2005 to moderate chart success. The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2007 Grammy Awards. A remix version of "I Am Not My Hair" featuring Akon was also released.
"I Wanna Love You" is a song written and recorded by singer Akon featuring Snoop Dogg. It was released in October 2006 as the second single from his second studio album,Konvicted. It is also featured on Snoop Dogg's eighth album,Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. This song was Akon's first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also Snoop's second #1 on the same chart. It also reached a peak of #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The track originally had Akon as a featured artist and was performed by rapper Plies from Fort Myers,Florida,but his verse was replaced by Snoop's and his name has been left out from the writers' credits. This song was #88 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.
"Give It to Me" is a song performed by American producer,songwriter and rapper Timbaland,released as the first single from his second studio album Shock Value (2007). The song features vocals by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado and American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. All three artists co-wrote the song together with American rapper Attitude and American producer Danja,who co-produced the song with Timbaland. Mosley Music Group,in association with Blackground Records and Interscope Records,serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radios in the United States on February 6,2007,and later to urban radios on March 10,2007. "Give It to Me" is an electro song that embodies the sensibilities of club music. The song features the protagonists addressing their critics about their successes in the music industry.
The Declaration is the fifth studio album by American singer Ashanti,released on June 3,2008,by The Inc. Records and Universal Motown Records.
"Wonderful" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on September 27,2004,as the lead single from his sixth studio album,R.U.L.E. (2004),through Island Def Jam and Irv Gotti's The Inc. Records. The song features American pop-R&B singers R. Kelly and Ashanti. "Wonderful" topped the UK Singles Chart,reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100,peaked at number six in both Australia and New Zealand,and became a top-20 hit in Denmark,Germany,Ireland,the Netherlands,and Switzerland.
American rapper and singer Nelly has released eight studio albums,two compilation albums,one remix album,three extended plays,two mixtapes,49 singles,three promotional singles and 48 music videos. He was also a member of the hip hop group St. Lunatics,which included fellow rappers Ali,City Spud,Murphy Lee,and Kyjuan. Nelly has sold a total of 21,815,000 albums in the US as of June 2014,making him the fourth bestselling rap artist in the country.
"Sorry,Blame It on Me" is the fifth single from R&B singer/songwriter Akon's second studio album,Konvicted. The song was co-written and produced by Clinton Sparks. This song was made after the nightclub incident in which Akon did a sexual dance with an underage girl. A demo of the song was leaked in February 2007,several months before the official version became available on Akon's Myspace. The song was put on iTunes on July 17,2007. The song attained the number one position on iTunes on July 21,2007,and July 23,2007. The song was released to radio on July 24,2007. The song debuted on the August 4,2007 issue of the Billboard Hot 100 at number seven,unable to make as big of impact as Akon's previous single Don't Matter. A music video directed by Chris Robinson was produced to promote the single.
Brass Knuckles is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Nelly,released on September 16,2008 after several delays. In 2008 Nelly embarked on The Brass Knuckles Tour in support of the album.
"Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" is the lead single from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's sixth studio album,Carnival Vol. II:Memoirs of an Immigrant. The R&B and hip hop song features vocals from Niia and Akon,as well as rapper Lil Wayne. Verizon Wireless released the song on their V CAST service on August 7,2007. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.
"Hypnotized" is a 2007 song and the second single from Plies' debut album,The Real Testament. The track is produced by Akon,as well as featured. The video for the single was released. The single made the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100,at #14. The song is featured on the soundtrack of the film Step Up 2 the Streets. A remix version was released featuring Rick Ross,Flo Rida and Webbie with a mixed beat.
"Wadsyaname" is a song by American rapper Nelly,released to the iTunes Store on August 22,2007. It was supposed to be the first official single from his fifth studio album Brass Knuckles (2008),but Nelly later confirmed that the single will not make the album. It was replaced by "Party People". It is produced by Neff-U,and sampled the piano line from "All My Life" by K-Ci &JoJo. Nelly performed the single along with "Let It Go" at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards.
"Dangerous" is a song by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall featuring American singer Akon. Produced by DJ Kemo and hAZEL,it was the first single from his fourth album,Not 4 Sale. It was released to radio in March 2008,and on iTunes on April 1. On the week of May 13,at the American iTunes Store,the song was offered as a free download. The song won the award for Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. In January 2023,the single was certified 4×platinum by Music Canada and 3×platinum by the RIAA.
"Stepped on My J'z" is a song written and performed by American rapper and singer Nelly featuring fellow American singer Ciara and fellow American rapper Jermaine Dupri;produced by the latter,it was released as the second single from Nelly's fifth studio album,Brass Knuckles.
"Can't Believe It" is a single by American singer T-Pain. It was released on July 29,2008,as the first official single from T-Pain's album Thr33 Ringz. The song features rapper Lil Wayne,marking the second collaboration between T-Pain and Lil Wayne being released as a single.
"I'm So Paid" is the second single from American singer Akon's third studio album,Freedom. The song features additional vocals from rappers Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy,and was released as a digital download worldwide and a physical single in France only on October 4,2008.
"Beautiful" is the third single from Akon's third studio album,Freedom. The song features American pop singer Colby O'Donis and a rap verse from Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. "Beautiful" was released to radio on January 6,2009. The song has also been released in other three international versions,with different featured artists replacing both Colby's vocals and Kardinal's rapping:in Portuguese with Brazilian singer Negra Li,in Dutch with Dutch singer Brace,and in Spanish with Mexican singer Dulce María. The original version peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States,the original version peaked within the top ten of the charts in Israel and the United Kingdom.
